"You're late." Lin Chen's father spoke as soon as he entered the dining room. "I apologize," Lin Chen scratched his head and did a short now before sitting down in his chair. "I was in the middle of training, and didn't wish to leave it midway."
"Hm, I see.." Lin Chen's father simply nodded his head in response before getting up from his chair and walking towards the sink.
"Are you studying for the final test?" Lin Chen's mother asked as she brought his breakfast to him, placing it on the table. "It's scheduled to take place in a few days, if I remember correctly. Is it not?"
"That's right.." Lin Chen nodded his head in agreement and started to eat.
"You should be careful this week. Don't get into any trouble that might cause you injuries. You don't want to be attending the test while you're not in your best shape." His mother warned him as she turned away, and Lin Chen simply nodded his head before returning to focus on his breakfast.
'I didn't think that I'd get treated like this ever again…' Lin Chen thought to himself as he briefly glanced at both his mother and father. 'But to think I'm able to eat my breakfast without having their judgemental eyes on me… It's definitely comforting!'
They were the same folks that abandoned their son because he failed a test. Because they couldn't handle the pressure and shame that was brought upon their household.
Or were they?
'I'm guessing that I'll at least end up with a D-Grade, so I'll most probably won't end up being told to leave the house.' Lin Chen thought. He had changed the future, and because of that, the events that he remembered happening in his first life would not happen.
'But are they the same people as the ones I knew in my first life?' Lin Chen squinted his eyes as he finished his breakfast and walked towards the sink. 'They haven't done the bad things that I resented them for yet, but if they really were the same people from my first life, then they most probably would've abandoned me had I not changed the future.'
Lin Chen didn't know if they really were the same people from his original world, and since he had altered the future, he probably wouldn't be able to figure it out either.
Should he slowly start avoiding them before completely cutting them off from his life? But if they aren't the same people from the original world, then it would mean that he's being cruel to them for absolutely no reason.
However, if they really are his original parents, then he definitely didn't wish to keep in touch with them anymore, even if they hadn't done the thing that he resents them for yet. He wasn't planning on waiting around until one of them does something bad to him.
'I'll figure it out. I have to.' Lin Chen said to himself as he pressed the hot towel against his face.
----------------------
"I'm heading out!" Lin Chen waved his hands before walking out of his home, and he let out a sigh. 'Thank god. I couldn't handle the atmosphere in there.'
[ Is it really that bad? ]
The boar demon sounded curious.
[ Weren't you fine when you were in your room? ]
"My room is alright. Actually, that's the only place in the entire house that I feel attached to.." Lin Chen explained with a soft whisper. "The rest… Reminds me of bad times.."
After the publishing of his humiliating result, Lin Chen couldn't even look at his parents' faces due to the shame. Even when they were berating him. Even when his sister made fun of him. Eventually, that room became the only place in the entire house where he could find relief.
"Enough of that. I don't want to think about those days anymore.." Lin Chen didn't wish to reminisce about his horrible past anymore and shook his head.
[ What do you plan on doing? Aren't you heading to your school? ]
The boar demon seemed puzzled by Lin Chen's behavior.
"Not today, boar demon!" Lin Chen waved his finger in the air and shook his head. "Didn't I tell you? I'm planning on living a life without any regrets."
[ You did say that. But what does skipping school have to do with that? ]
The boar demon responded with an restless tone, indicating that the demon spirit was getting impatient about learning his plans.
"Of course, a life without regrets means fulfilling my dreams as well. And for that, I have to get accepted into Grand Central University." Lin Chen said with a smile as he continued walking. "A D-Grade talent score might save me from total humiliation from my family and society, but it's definitely not good enough to get accepted into Grand Central University."
[ Doesn't the Grand Central University conduct entrance exams? ]
"They do. But they also take into account the final test grades of their applicants. After all, no university actually wants a low grade talent now, do they?" Lin Chen shrugged his shoulders before he turned around and entered an internet cafe. "So, I need to clear at least another meridian before the test if I wish to secure a seat in Grand Central University."
He wrote his name on the register and walked inside. "Now, I could only open up the fifth meridian in a single go because I had been practicing the regular meridian clearing method up until that point. Which means that it'll take more than one try to completely clear the sixth meridian, and in order to keep up with our tight schedule, I'll need more than an energy enhancing tablet."
[ You can't just gulp down a lot of tablets? ]
"Didn't I tell you already about the dosage?" Lin Chen shook his head as he sat on one of the chairs and then moved closer to the computer. "I'll need a variety of medicinal drugs to help me out, and those are really expensive. So, I'm going to need a lot of money."
[ Is this why you came to this place? Are you planning on utilizing your knowledge of the future in order to make money? ]
"Well, you're sort of right." Lin Chen licked his lips and opened up an online trading platform. "I don't have an eidetic memory, so I don't know which lottery number wins the grand prize…"
Lin Chen pulled up a window which had the stock price of a soft drink company, and he continued, "But I was interested in the stock market for quite some time. And I know that this specific company will announce a takeover by Yi Lan Ma, a famous businessman, tomorrow, which will cause the stock price to shoot upwards within the next three days, eventually resulting in a 31% increase."
[ Although I can't understand a single thing you're saying, judging by the cheerful tone of your voice, I'm assuming that you'll be making a lot of money? ]
"Not really, no…" Lin Chen shook his head after clicking the buy button. "I only have a small amount of money in my trading account to invest, so even if I invest now, it won't make me that much. And like I said, it's not like I have a good memory, so I don't remember any other big incidents related to the stock market during this time period either."
He leaned back in his chair after making the purchase. "But you know, stocks aren't the only thing that I can use to make money!"